Dead End
by SSJ2BlazeSG
Summary: It all started when a nine-year-old AntVenom had a desire for power. Little did he know, his small wish would drag a young, innocent CaptainSparklez into a time loop where the line separating life and death was wearing thin. With Jordan's life at stake with every move he makes, Taylor is the only thing to stand between his friend and the cruel hands of fate.
1. Guilt in His Eyes

It all started that one winter evening. The air was cool and filled with stark, white snowflakes as Jordan peeked out his window. The nine year old was a curious one, but who wasn't at that age?

His parents weren't letting him outside during the blizzard's rage, which he strongly opposed. He didn't care he would freeze to death. He just wanted to bundle up, take his sled, and ride down the steep hills with his friends. But as mentioned earlier, he wasn't allowed out until the storm let up.

"Stupid parents... Stupid blizzards..." he huffed, crossing his arms under his forest green blanket. In his mind, he didn't know why he couldn't go out. So what there was enough snow falling from the gray sky to fill his house? The desire was clawing at him; just one snowflake was all he wanted.

Then, there was a _crash_ on his window.

Glancing back to the glass and noticing icy crystals of white splattered on it, he looked down to see a figure. Another nine year old stood, feet completely invisible under the snow. His short and spiky jet black hair was coated with small flakes of snow, and so was his navy blue scarf. Bending down and taking another handful of snow, the boy rounded it into another ball and threw it at the window. "Jordan! C'mon!"

Finally, Jordan undid the locks on his window and slid it up. "Tay? Is that you?" He asked, squinting at his surprisingly-not frozen best friend. "Why are you out in the storm?"

"That's not important," he said dismissively, brushing off his friend's question as if it had no importance. "Anyways, I need you to come with me. It's an emergency."

At this point, Jordan had reached for his red-rimmed glasses and pushed them up the bridge of his nose. They still didn't have a good fit on him, being his older brother's. "My parents said I can't leave," he pouted, subconsciously wondering why he still listened to them. "Hey, what's the big deal, anyways?"

He noticed Taylor flinch at the question.

"Like I said, it's not important. All that matters is that you get out of that house _right now_."

Maybe it was the way he said it, or possibly, it was just that Jordan was desperate to leave his cramped and boring house, but before he knew it, he was grabbing a backpack and stuffing his belongings into it. A pillow, a blanket, water bottles, some wrapped snacks and candy, and extra pairs of clothes. Pulling on another long sleeved white shirt and a heavy black blazer, he slipped the straps of his bag on his shoulders, and he was already hopping out the window.

Unfortunately, he landed face first into the snow.

"You okay?" came Taylor's voice as he offered a hand to the younger of the two (by a few months, Jordan would always declare). He took it instantly, and with a mouth filled with snow, muttered an unintelligible 'thank you'. After getting on his feet, Tay led him through the mounds of snow and towards a forest that was bordered by a river.

"Where are we even going?" Jordan inquired, eying his surroundings as his friend dragged him past countless bare oak trees. Once and awhile an old, withered leaf would crunch under his foot, but besides that, the night was silent.

"Somewhere that isn't here."

The younger of the two was starting to get frustrated. Yes, he was happy he was finally outside, but now, he was angered. Why wouldn't Taylor tell him anything? It _was_ important. Who knew he wasn't "leading his sheep to slaughter"? The last thought came out of nowhere; he knew his friend wouldn't send him to his death. That was crazy. '_Get that thought out of your head, Jordan. There is no way he would do that_."

He was ripped from his thoughts as the older of the announced, "We're here."

Jordan was met with an iced-over stream that seemed to have no end. Suddenly, Taylor wiped a clump of snow off an old wooden sled and set it on the ice. At first, Jordan couldn't take his teal orbs off the work of carpentry. But then, his friend dragged him onto it and got on himself. "Wait, wait wait-"

"Here we go!" Tay called as he pushed the sled off, sending the two rushing against the cold air. As they overlooked a steep hill, Jordan gripped the reigns tighter, and the other boy nearly cried out in happiness. The younger felt a scream rise in his throat.

Before it could escape, the two were sliding down the hill the stream was indented in.

The wind whipped against their faces, and their matching dark hair flipped around wildly. Taylor, who was enjoying the drop, was the complete opposite of his friend. Poor Jordan was screaming so much that his throat was becoming dry, and it seemed impossible for him to stop. The older of the two nudged him, clearly making fun of the scaredy cat.

Luckily, the ice path had come to an abrupt end in front of a dim cave. Jordan almost seemed _too_ quick to hop off what he called "the death machine of wood", but the wiser of the two slipped off with ease and began dragging the sled beside him. "C'mon, we've got to hurry. Unless you want to be caught in the storm, that is."

At first, Jordan was hesitant on following his friend. Why did he leave home? Why were they at a cave? But most importantly, he wondered why it was Taylor leading him.

"What are you, deaf? Get your icy butt over here!"

He shook his head, ridding his thoughts from his mind as he dashed-or something close to dashing, the snow being an obstacle-into the dark abyss of stone. Inside was just a flat ground of asphalt, with arched walls surrounding it. Light began to span the room as Taylor lit some sticks as makeshift torches. "A hand would be a _great_ help right now," he demanded, dark orbs implying assistance as they fixated on the other nine year old.

Jordan hurried over, taking a stick or two, and attempted to rub them against each other in the hopes of a spark. No matter how many times he scratched the wood together, no fire would sprout and dance around the sticks. He cursed under his breath, shooting a worried glance over to his fire-frenzied companion, who seemed to have no trouble consistently lighting them.

Tay's midnight black gaze met Jordan's teal one, and the latter noticed something in his friend's eyes for the brief second. It was of both frustration and guilt. He assumed the frustration was something about Jordan not being able to do simple tasks like igniting a stick, but he didn't know what the guilt was for. It was there, but he didn't know why.

He was about to ask about it, but was rudely interrupted before the words could even leave his mouth.

"Just make yourself useful, will ya? I didn't bring you along just to carry you like dead weight."

And just as quickly as Jordan had opened his mouth, he closed it.

He bit his lip and lowered his gaze before returning to his soon-to-be sources of light. He flicked and flicked and flicked them together, until finally, one single spark flew and set the sticks ablaze. In surprise of the sudden combustion, he jumped back, dropping the growing fire to the ground. Glancing up at his friend, he saw that Taylor had mouthed one word at him.

Coward.

Jordan's vision blurred with tears as he stormed to the opposite side of the cavern, leaving the now-dimming fire in the same place he had left it.

Why had Taylor taken him away from his home in the first place? Why did Jordan think it was a good idea in the first place? Was his mind clouded with the desire for adventure, or was it oblivious to the danger looming ahead?

These were some of the thoughts running through his head as he sat in one of the corners, knees pulled close to his chest as he felt warm tears running down his reddened face. When his friend placed a torch beside him, he shot a quick glance up and saw that Taylor _wasn't_ mad at him.

"Sorry for yelling at you, Jord. I just kind of snapped," he said, jerking his head away to avoid the younger's gaze. "I've just been too caught up with everything that's been happening lately, that's all. It's not your fault, it's mine."

As Tay concluded his small speech, Jordan slowly rose from his crouched position and wiped his tears with the back of his hand. "It's alright, don't worry about it," he said, feeling a smile tug at his lips, which ultimately, he let it. The older of the two returned the gesture and bolted back to his own pack, this one a silver hiking bag with red and navy accentuations, producing a feather-soft pillow and wooly blanket. "I think we'd better take a rest, we've got a big day ahead of us."

At the time, Jordan didn't pay much attention to the other's choice of words, as sleep was dragging him under, too. "Yeah, you're probably right- Like you always are." He chuckled lightly, before retrieving his own sleeping materials. As the two of them set up their "beds", he wondered why he had let his friend off so easily. Maybe it was the chance of their friendship being broken that held him back. Who knew? It was said and done, and that was all that mattered.

Crawling under his forest green blanket, he pondered about his family back home. Did they notice he was missing? Probably not. If they did, were they worrying about his whereabouts? Most likely, no.

"Good night." Taylor said, turning over onto his side to face the runaway.

Jordan quickly returned the saying before letting his lids slip closed. One last thought crossed his mind before his conscious was sent to the world of dreams.

Why was there guilt in his friend's eyes?

* * *

**Hey guys! It's been awhile, hasn't it? Yeah, so, sorry about the super long hiatus. Luckily you like this new story, 'cause I sure do.**

**What do you guys think is with Ant? I wanna hear your thoughts. And what about Jordan running way with Ant? Do you think this little adventure will turn out well? Only time will tell!**


	2. Suspicion in His Heart

At the same time Jordan's eyes fluttered open, he knew something was wrong. What, he wasn't so sure of. It was just a feeling in his gut that he knew he had to trust.

Slipping out of his blanket-turned-cocoon, he glanced over to Taylor to see his eyes closed. Better let him sleep, he thought as he gathered his sleeping materials together and stuffed them into his bag. Stalking out of the cave, he made sure to stay quiet for the sake of his friend. "I'll be right back, Tay," he whispered, although the older of the two wouldn't hear.

As he stepped out and began to trek through the forest, Taylor opened an eye that was thought to be sleeping. Then, another. Soon, he was sitting upright on his navy blue blanket and rummaging through his silver pack. Reaching inside, he produced a diminutive notepad and checked something on a list off. "Okay, I've already got him away before the house incident occurred... Next should be the tree," he skimmed the paper and circled something near the bottom. "Oh, no, we can't forget that. That's where I lost him last time."

Flipping a few pages back, he shoved it back into his backpack, along with his gray pen. He stood up and placed his blanket and pillow on top of the notepad, slinging the crimson-colored straps of his bag over his shoulders. "Well, I better get going, or my calculations will be completely messed up," he concluded with finality, striding out of the cave with a newly-lit torch in his gloved hand. "Twenty-five paces this way, and then a left... Then the tree should fall. Jordan, let's just hope you don't get into more trouble than you already are."

With that, he bolted out of the cavern and counted his steps meticulously.

* * *

Leaves crunched under Jordan's feet as he evaded the equally-as-dangerous ice. If he slipped and fell, there wouldn't be anyone around to hear it and save him. Tay was asleep, as far as he knew.

And what about Tay? He had been acting anything but normal lately. Going on about it being an emergency, when in reality, he wouldn't even tell Jordan_where_ they were going. And then there was the urgency in his tone. Why was it so important for Jordan to leave his house during a _blizzard_?

Shaking his head, he continued to stride along the icy clearing and use the heaps of snow as a support.

There was no doubt in his mind that something was different about Taylor. Ever since he showed up at his house the other day, he had a completely different look on everything. He was never this impatient and stubborn before... Why did he start now? Why did he _start_, was the better question.

Jordan turned on his heel and lay his back against the pile of snow. He examined the sight above him. Tall, dying trees reaching to the sky for some sort of salvation. A cloudy world above him pouring with snowflakes. One of the trees falling and about to crush him- Wait, crush him?

The tree was coming down at a fast speed, but to Jordan, it was the slowest thing he had ever laid eyes on. With every step he made, it made quite an advancement. The world had seemingly gone silent- All except for his heart beating rigorously in his ears and his own shaky breaths. And as it dawned on him that he couldn't run fast enough and would die in his place right now, he closed his eyes in some sort of consolation.

But right before the tree made impact, he was tackled out of the way.

Dizzily glancing up, his gaze met none other's than Taylor. "Tay?" He inquired, silently hoping his final solace wasn't a hallucination. The aforementioned boy only smiled and gave Jordan a hand. "Here," he offered, "let me give you a hand."

He took the gesture and found himself on his feet. "Thanks." He paused, then glanced over to the fallen wood. "F-for saving me."

"No problem." Tay took Jordan's arm and slung it around his neck, hoping to give the younger of the two more support and a better footing. "We'd better head back to the cave- unless you would like to object." He joked, earning a light chuckle from the injured boy. "They say laughter is the best medicine, don't they?" He waited for a snarky response, but it never came. When he looked towards the other boy, he found his eyes closed and head bobbing. Jordan had fallen asleep.

"Heh, looks like this prescription makes the consumer drowsy."

Taylor hoisted the younger boy on his back and kept him on there piggy-back style. As he began to take note of the scene, he began his trek back to the cave.

This didn't happen last time. Last time, he was crushed under the tree with blood practically pouring out of him like a fountain. Last time, Taylor had been a little too late, and in the wake of his delay, Jordan had become paralyzed, his legs limp and broken in more ways than one. Tay had to carry him the rest of the time after the incident. Luckily, this time, he was able to make it in time and save his friend. No bloodied appendages, just a little rest.

It's best if he only knows what happened this time, Tay decided and mentally took note of. 'Make sure not to tell him about a different and more pained him that turned out worse than this one', check. Hopefully, he'll never figure out.

As he stepped back into the cavern, he lay Jordan onto his blanket and covered him with another one. He made his way over to his backpack and retrieved his own wooly blanket. He placed it under him like a mat and sat cross-legged on it. Again, he reached into his bag and produced the same notepad he had used earlier that day, along with his pen. He made a checkmark next to one of his bulleted points. Scanning over his writing, his writing utensil hovered over one of the lines.

"Oh, _that's_ next..." He encircled it and clicked his pen shut before attaching it to his notepad. He flipped the pages back over and returned it to his bag. Lying down with his hands behind his head and legs crossed, he glanced over to Jordan. "Don't think that tree was the scariest and most hazardous thing that has ever happened in your life.

"We still have a lot more dangerous events ahead of us."

With that, he shut his eyes and waited for sleep to draw him under.

* * *

**Sorry about the super long hiatus and the super short chapter. School's been getting in the way and I've had, like, no time to write. Between this and co-writing my friend's book, I've been busy. So sorry 'bout that.**

**I really don't like this chapter. I wish I could make it longer, but... It's just not coming to me. My goal is to get chapters somewhere around two-thousand words (which may seem like nothing to many), and this one was really a disappointment. I had to overcome a HUGE writer's block to get this done, and I seriously have no idea what's going to happen next. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the next one up faster and longer.**


	3. Terror in His Dreams

_Darkness spanned the entire space, and a lone torch was left to illuminate the room. The floor was made of a gravelly-stone, and it was coated in a new coat of dust. A smoky scent lingered in the air- undoubtedly the remnants of the torch._

_A male, who was seated in an equally-rocky throne, stirred from a lengthy daydream. His pupils dilated to adjust to the dimly-lit room, and his head instantly shot up from being held by_ _the chair._

_"Again?" He asked breathlessly, wiping away sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He scanned the space; there was nothing to be noticed in the lightened portion of the ground. He shook his head slightly, attempting to rid the dream from his memory, and rose from the throne. He strode down the diminutive stairs and made his way blindly into the darkness._

_He had memorized the maze; after living through the same few days of his life, he had grown accustomed to the pre-destined events_.

_It was simple to solve, and before he had taken realization of it, he was met by the moon's pale radiance. He shielded his dark eyes with his hand, and skimmed over the trees decorating the landscape. The one that had previously crushed Jordan was still standing- almost like a silent sentinel._

_How many times had he repeated this very instance? Fifteen? Twenty? He had lost count after ten. All he had to know was that his friend had died every single time, and he was forced to watch. Crushed by trees, trapped under a house covered by an excess amount of snow... He had seen it all._

_Nine years-old, and he had seen his friend die countless times. Why was he cursed to suffer? Because he lost a game of life and death? Shouldn't _he_ have been the one to die if _he_ lost? Why did Jordan have to suffer for _his_ poor playing?_

_As a result of his loss, shadow magic was infused into the amulet that dangled from his neck- Whenever he would_ _attempt to pry it off, the talisman would instantly reappear on its chain, and he would be struck with horrible, unseeable pains._

_He was a child who yearned to be a king, and a man had granted his wish: he challenged the boy to a game of chess, where they were both kings of opposing kingdoms. The boy's pawns were his loved ones, and his choice was to either sacrifice them or protect them. Obviously, he went out of his way to_ _save them from harm, and chanced losing himself._

_His family was captured in the game by the man's knight and bishop, and in result, they were murdered in the real world by a serial killer and his cronies. His friends were taken down one by one by the man's queen, and similar to his family, they were killed in real life._

_But when the rook was positioned to strike Jordan, the boy moved his king to shield the pawn._

_"Why?" The man had inquired, incredulous to the boy's risky move, "why would you danger yourself to save a replaceable _pawn_?"_

_The boy had taken up a stoic and valiant expression. "Because he's my friend. And friends don't let other friends get hurt."_

_"Check."_

_And the next thing he knew, he was seated in a rocky throne of a non-existent kingdom. When he eventually escaped the "castle", he wandered through the woods for what felt like hours. He had to trudge through the piles of abundant snow to the point of his legs becoming numb. _

_When he finally got home, he went straight to bed- but before sleep dragged him under, he glanced towards the colorful calendar pinned on his wall. The days were crossed out until December 22nd_.

_December 22nd..._

_December... 22nd..._

_December..._

_Decem.._

* * *

_The boy's midnight black eyes fluttered open the next morning, and he_ _rubbed the sleep out of them before begrudgingly getting up. After making and eating a quick breakfast, he bundled up and decided to stop by his best friend's house. He figured that the snow had been plowed (for the most part) in between their houses, and that a few-block walk would do him good. _

_He pressed on against the powdery, frozen wind and trekked towards Jordan's house,_ _meticulously avoiding the patches of ice decorating the slightly-slippery sidewalk. He crossed a street to the other side of the road and continued until he reached the building, which was a few houses down from the crosswalk. He turned the corner, and was about to run towards the house..._

_... Until he laid eyes on the collapsed structure covered in snow._

_News reporters circled the neighborhood, interviewing the neighbors, and various news channel vans took up most of the road_.

_"... Last night... Last night, I heard a giant crash. I assume that too much snow collected on their roof, and the house_ _just, _caved in_ on itself." He_ _overheard a woman being interviewed say, but he was deaf to it all. The reporters talking, the snow bristling against his face- all he could hear was his own heartbeat._

_T-that couldn't be Jordan's house. It just _couldn't_._

_But nevertheless, th_ere _was an ambulance parked in front of the collapsed structure and men rushing into the home with stretchers. They had already retrieved a body- It was Jordan's brother, Matt. The blonde's forehead was dented and had numerous large splints of wood embedded into it; his olive-colored skin had blood snaking down it on both of his arm, as well as from the corner of his lip._

_The next to come out was his friend's father. The man seemed to be in the same condition as his son: bloodied and dead. Soon after, the man's wife was brought out on a stretcher. She was barely alive, and sadly, the boy knew she would die before reaching the hospital._

_Although nine years-old, he knew death was inevitable in this beautiful and cruel world. He detested the fact, but he knew it to be true._

_And finally, Jordan was retrieved from the rubble. _

_The boy felt his heart stop when he saw how _broken_ his friend appeared. Left arm twisted, right leg mangled. Cuts evident on his skin, crimson coating his body._

_He felt bile rise in his throat, but he swallowed back the urge to vomit. He cupped his gloved hand over his mouth, and he choked a sob. Hot tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, and he felt them race down his reddened cheeks. Before he had realized it, he had collapsed to his knees, and the bottom half of his body sunk into the snow._

_After a few moments, he rose from his place in the snow, and dashed over towards Jordan. He could still be alive, right? _Right_?_

_He shoved past paramedics and nurses, and he rushed over towards his friend. He shook the unresponsive_ _male to attempt to wake him out of his slumber, but to no avail. The boy pressed his ear to Jordan's chest, and he heard a faint heartbeat. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum._

H_e was about to cheer in ecstasy, but he was stopped abruptly when he heard the other boy's heartbeat begin to slow down._

_Ba... dum. Ba... dum. Ba..._

_... dum. Ba..._

_... d... um. B..._

_... a-dum._

_..._

_As soon as Jordan's heart ceased beating, the boy's body tensed completely. Everything around him froze, and suddenly, the world _blurred_. He was overtaken by dizziness, and he felt himself begin_ _to lose consciousness_.

* * *

_He jolted awake in a mid-evil themed throne room. He was seated in a rocky seat with stairs descending towards a lower level, which was coated in a fresh layer of dust and dirt. With a glance around him, he took notice of a single torch hung on the wall, its luminance being the only light source in the room. When he spun his head back towards the door, he felt a headache overwhelm his thoughts._

_What had happened? Where was he? Why was he there? What happened to Jordan?_

_The raven-haired boy's thoughts were clouded and his memory was hazy; he faintly recalled blacking out after his friend died. _

_Wait, didn't he wake up in this room the night before?_

_The nine year-old found himself rushing down the few steps leading down to the main level and out the door, nearly crashing into the wall on the other side of the hall. He hurried back to his house, not even bothering to greet his parents, and dashed into his room._

_"N-no... It can't be..."_

_And there, on the wall of his bedroom, was a calendar that marked the day as December 22nd._

* * *

Taylor awoke from his dream in a fright, letting a raw scream tear from his throat and, accidentally, startling Jordan awake.

"Tay, are you okay?" He asked instantly, teal orbs jolting to his friend as the older boy clutched his blanket, still panting. Taylor nodded after a few moments and let the wool cover drop from his grasp. He covered his reddened face with his sweaty hands to attempt to calm himself down, and eventually, he did.

"I... I'm fine," he reassured Jordan, "really." At first, the blue-eyed boy just stared at his friend concernedly, but soon after, he huffed a, "Whatever you say," and plopped back down onto the bottom side of his blanket. "Just try and go back to sleep, okay? If you have another nightmare, I'll be here... J-just... please. You've been worrying me lately, Tay."

"... Alright. You'll be the first person I'll go to," Taylor joked, which earned a lighthearted laugh from his companion. "Geez, when did you become a lecture-person, anyways?"

Jordan punched him playfully on his arm. "Shut up!" he laughed, before rolling back over to his side, away from the older boy. Watching Jordan curl back into the warmth of his blanket, Taylor couldn't help but smile. "Fine," he began, turning onto his side away from the other boy, "I'll go to sleep."

"G'night."

A few minutes later, Jordan was already fast asleep, and Taylor let his mind wander. Thoughts of his nightmare reoccurred to him, and he decided to ponder on its events. He bit his lip just thinking about it.

As much as he hated to admit it, it wasn't a dream; Jordan really died.

He rolled onto his back and lay with his arms spread apart like he was making a snow angel, his dark gaze fixated on the cavernous ceiling above him. He glanced back towards the sleeping male beside him and felt guilt and sympathy swell in his heart; A horrible realization had dawned on him.

Taylor was cursed to relive a few days of his life for eternity, and Jordan was destined to die in each and every one of those repeats.

* * *

**... And the real plot begins to appear!**

**Hey guys! Sorry for the wait on this chapter- Entirely my fault. School and extra-curricular activities like to say no-no to writing. **

**Anyways, I wanna first say thanks to all of you reading this fic... I think the quality's degrading, and I wanna try and boost it back up again. With this in mind, I want you guys to give me some constructive criticism. It'll help better both this story and my own writing skills.**

**Second off, I wanna apologize for this being a sort-of filler chapter. It definitely has a lot of character development for Tay, but besides that, nothing really happens. Also, if you guys are starting to see resemblances between this and a random anime, you'll see where I got my inspiration for this story from.**

**Third (and this is returning to the plot), the section of the story that I've nicknamed the "Alpha-Mayuri Subplot" has finally arrived. (If any of you get that reference, feel free to send me a pm, or something.)**

**Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter, 'cause I sure had tons of fun writing it!**


	4. Dread in His Mind

The dying throes of aurora snuck past the dense forest, easily bypassing the fortress of trees and into the small cavern. When the light entered the cave, Jordan found a yawn escaping him; and the back of his hand rubbing the sleep out of his tired eyes. Getting his bearings and finding the willpower to sit up in his cocoon of a blanket, he noticed that Taylor was still deep in sleep.

"Huh," he smiled slightly, "well, that's a first."

Getting to his feet and wobbling for a moment in dizziness, Jordan strode towards the entrance of the cave, taking a second to observe his surroundings. The blizzard was finally dying down- it was merely a light snow at this point- and the air wasn't anywhere _near_ frigid; The pine trees surrounding the area were coated in more stark flakes, but that wasn't the main concern that Jordan had on his mind.

His thoughts were solely focused on his family.

Pondering on the past few day's events, he could wonder what they thought of him. Were they worried sick for him? Their poor little Jordan, who went missing without a trace in the midst of a _blizzard_? Were they searching for him, even during this torrential snowstorm?

Or did his disappearance go unbeknownst to them this entire time? Were they even aware he was gone- Did they even _care_?

_No._ The boy mentally chastised himself, _you can't let yourself think like that. Of course they know you're gone. They must be searching for you._

But no matter how much he chided, the thought still lingered.

Jordan was suddenly ripped from his grim mindset when there was a rustle from behind him. "G'mornin', Jord," the older of the two greeted, sitting up in his own blanket, "why are you up so early?"

"I fell asleep before you did, remember? I guess my body decided that I already had enough rest, while yours needed a bit more," he answered, turning back from the opening before him to face the amulet-wearer. He was about to say something, but then a thought that had been on his mind resurfaced. "Tay," he began, walking over and sitting cross-legged in front of the boy, "do you mind sharing that nightmare you had last night?"

Taylor's face dropped, and it took him a few seconds to compose himself. "I..." Jordan watched him, trying his best to be patient (as patient as a nine year-old could be, that is), but his ability to wait was thinning with each passing second. Surprisingly, Tay's eyes fell downcast, and his whole demeanor seemed to become crestfallen. And after a few tense moments, he finally continued.

"I don't think you would want to know."

* * *

Somehow avoiding the topics of the early morning, the two boys were able to converse about finally leaving the cave because of the blizzard's let-up. Jordan was more exited, quite optimistic about seeing his family again, but Taylor could tell that there was something nagging the boy about his leaving them in the first place.

"They'll forgive you," he began, a navy-colored glove already cupped on the younger of the duo's shoulder, "and if they don't, they can blame me, alright?"

"Only partial blame, you _did_ keep me safe the entire time." Jordan suggested, chuckling a bit at his friend's usual tendency to want to take responsibility for everything. "Remember, I was the one who decided to run away with you. If I really wanted to, I could have declined your offer and let you freeze out there by your self-" he paused, "-but I'm a good friend."

"Yeah, right," Tay joked, slipping his other arm through his jacket before zipping it up. He turned towards the shades wearer and beckoned, "C'mon. The faster we get ready, the faster we can get to your house."

"I'm going, I'm going," he answered, groaning. "No need to yell at me, _mom_."

After slipping past a couple boulders near the outside of the cave, the boy's found themselves trekking through the forest. Their footsteps were only partially evident in the snow coating the ground, and they were filled in within five minutes of the two stepping in it. Taylor mused that they could hide the evidence of them ever leaving, and Jordan merely chuckled for a second or two at the most. It was obvious the elder was trying to lighten the mood and take some guilt off Jordan, but the latter was still remorseful.

"Stop it," Taylor commanded, and it seemed that he was way older than he actually was. For a nine year-old, he was extremely mature and responsible. When his friend stopped in his tracks and glanced towards him, Tay decided to elaborate more. "I mean, stop dreading your returning home. That's all that's been on you mind; I can just tell by the look on your face and your constant pondering. Your parents won't be mad," he paused, biting his lip in hesitation before continuing with a sad smile, "trust me."

"Alright... I'll try," Jordan answered after absorbing the entire speech. To be honest with himself, he was trying to keep his mind off it, but there was hardly anything to focus on that wasn't his family. Sure, there was the sudden mysteriousness of Taylor, but that was a matter that was difficult for Jordan to wrap his head around. It boggled the boy's mind; how could the amulet wearer-a nine year-old-be able to counter the hands of fate, as if he knew what was predestined?

Jordan shook his head, trying to rid his head of the thoughts. All he needed right now was a headache with all his thinking. Sighing, he just hoped to get home safely and without punishment. If he was punished, what would happen to Taylor? The one who asked him to escape? How would-

He stopped dead in his tracks. While Taylor continued walking ahead, unbeknownst to his friend's situation, Jordan couldn't remove his gaze from the scene before him.

"Jord? What's-" He followed the younger boy's gaze to see the collapsed house before them, "Oh, no... Not again..."

Jordan's house was absolutely _covered_ in snow. The structure had collapsed under all that pressure, and it was evident that the house had caved in on itself. There were ambulances around the block and various news reporters and-

To say that Taylor had the worst feeling of déjà vu would be an understatement.

"Matt!" Jordan cried, running over to see his bloodied brother. While he sobbed over the limp body of the older boy, Taylor detested that he could recall every wound Matt retained from the various occurrings that he had witnessed.

_The blonde's forehead was dented and had numerous large splints of wood embedded into it; his olive-colored skin had blood snaking down it on both of his arm, as well as from the corner of his lip,_ He recalled solemnly, _He had __already died at this point._

_Next was his dad_, Tay continued his inner monologuing, his physical body still paralyzed with shock, _and he was in similar condition to his son._

_The most heartbreaking, though_, He continued, his eyes already finding the weak body of Mrs. Maron, _was his mom. She was barely alive when they got to her, and she died on the way to the hospital._

"At least it wasn't Jordan this time," he was able to whisper to himself, a melancholy smile tugging at his lips. "At least he's still alive..."

It was still incredibly heartbreaking to watch Jordan run between his deceased brother and father in the hopes of life signs, but it was arguably as sad when the boy tried to converse with his mother. The woman would keep trying to console him- Trying to convince him that _everything would be fine without __her_, but he _just wouldn't listen_. Because his mom would be alright. She would recover and they could be together again and they could live happily ever after and-

"She's gone." The medical examiner stated the fact very solemnly, silently hoping it was gentle enough for the boy to understand and begin to cope with his loss.

"N-no," he began, his voice starting to break, "She... She can't be. She _can't __be dead_." He glanced back at the limp body of his mother, warm tears already pricking at his eyes and trickling down his face. A graceful smile was still present on her face, but Jordan still felt guilty- like, like he was supposed to die with them.

"M-mom... I love you," he practically breathed the last part, as it was hardly audible above the wind and the bristling of the snow. He took his blazing red scarf and wiped some of the blood away from her forehead, as well as taking a moment to bend down and kiss her. He tucked his scarf back under his jacket, and forced himself to back up and give the EMT workers some space. "Rest in peace."

Taylor looked on with incredible amounts of sympathy as he watched Jordan's entire family be whisked away on stretchers and into the ambulance. He couldn't pry his midnight-hued eyes from the scene because he knew-he _knew_ he could have prevented this. After seeing it happen at least ten times, the same collapsed house, the same dead family, the same crying Jordan (and a deceased one the first few times)...

And, much to his loathing, he was helpless in the whole situation.

* * *

**A/N: Hey, guys. Sorry for the super long wait for this chapter. I had procrastinated this while working on homework, projects, extra-cirriculars, and everything else, and the next thing you know, it's been three and a half months. School's been taking up all my free time, and then there's stupid RL things on top of that. You don't know how much guilt I've felt about keeping this fic on hiatus for so long, but I guess it happens. I've seriously lost interest in MC and its Youtubers, so don't expect characters to be super IC. Cope with my inability to write characters with their correct personalities. xD And lease forgive me for the super late update! ^^; (This chapter is short, but, hey, it's something!)**

**Hopefully, the next update won't take nearly as long as this one, but no promises. I'll try my best to write this in my free time, and unless I get a horrible, horrible writer's block (I hope I didn't just jinx it), there WILL BE AN UPDATE SOON. I'm not going to ditch this fic because: One; I love it to bits. Two; We're on the interesting part. And three; I can't quit on you guys. So there; Three reasons why I'm never gonna give up on this fic, even if it takes me years to finish.**

**Um... I don't know what happened there. Anyways, see you guys next time! :)**


	5. Tragedy in His Reality

The funeral was everything Jordan could have expected; the dug-out holes, a man reciting prayers, and a crowd mourning the loss of his family. The late afternoon air was still cold around him, but with a tug at his jacket sleeves and a heavy heart, he didn't pay the temperature any further attention. His focus was solely on the service at hand.

The man swayed on his feet while singing a melancholy prayer as the Maron's were buried six feet under in dirt. Jordan was one of the many onlookers to shovel a clump of dirt into each of their respective graves; among others were remaining family and close friends.

When Jordan was called upon to speak a few words, he hurried up hesitantly, an impromptu speech already brewing in his mind. As he spoke out of his heart, he paused ocassionally when his voice shook and broke to compose himself; he continued, nevertheless.

As Jordan continued his heartfelt eulogy, he recognized some of the crowd; a few of Matt's classmates had shown up, and some of his father's co-workers were there. Many of his mother's friends were present, and they were silently weeping; the boy even noticed some of his own friends.

But if there was one person the nine-year-old continuously glanced at, it was Taylor.

The aforementioned boy watched on with an unreadable expression plastered on his face, and with eyes that seemed to not really see the scene playing out in front of him. He was on the outskirts of the crowd, leaning against a stray pole and with his hands in his jacket pockets; something shiny glinted from his right pocket, but Jordan glanced away before he seemed suspicious.

When he concluded his eulogy, the man hosting the service gave him a pat on the back, and sent him towards an arrangement of foldable chairs. Among the seated was the boy's lone-surviving grandfather, who motioned him over into a tight hug; Jordan graciously accepted.

He found his teal gaze rolling back over to Taylor. He wasn't showing any emotion, and Jordan felt hatred begin to grow in the pit of his stomach; he couldn't even sympathize and show respect at his best friend's family's funeral?

Jordan blinked away tears; a mix from his sadness for his family, and his discovery at Taylor's true colors. He used his fiery red scarf to brush away whatever was left over before letting the material fall in front of his mouth.

He ripped his gaze from his "friend," and buried his face into his grandpa's chest; his scarf muffled his sobs. The older man ruffled the boy's hair and pulled him tighter to his body; Jordan needed the consolation.

The sun blazed above them, and Jordan mused that his family wouldn't have wanted the world to stop for them; they were too humble of people to want such a selfish desire. Life would continue to carry on, and he figured he would have to, also.

Even as the sun drew near the horizon- the boundless skyline, as he had coined it- he knew that's what his family wanted. Even as he wished for them to still be living- for them to be here with them, he knew they didn't mind dying. That if Jordan survived, it was worth it.

He choked another sob and nuzzled further into his grandfather's embrace. He stayed like that for the rest of the service- drowning in his own woes and forgetting the world around him.

Taylor mutely glanced towards his friend, and recalled the last time he saw him in his grandpa's embrace; He also struggled to remember how many times he had heard the man sing the same prayers. The boy bit his lip, knowing he would probably relive this moment a million more times- endlessly stuck in a loop of watching his friend suffer...

He turned on his heel and made his way out of the cemetery, leaving the scene behind him. He recalled the possibilities of what may happen next in his current timeline, and hoped for a deathless future for the boy grieving in the cemetery.

When the funeral concluded, the sun was beginning to set. Jordan was awoken by his grandfather shaking him, and he immediately looked for Taylor; the other boy was no where to be found.

"Are you looking for somebody?" The elder inquired, to which his grandson shook his head in response. He paused before saying, "Nobody, Grandpa," he pried his gaze away from the pole Taylor had been leaning on. "Nobody."

His relative shrugged it off before beginning to lead the youngster out of the cemetery; The two were stopped when the man holding the service placed a hand on Jordan's shoulder from behind and asked to speak with him.

"Can I help you?" The child asked with as much maturity as he could muster.

"Yes," answered the man, "I happened to find _these_," he showed him a pair of red-rimmed shades, "and somebody told me they were your brother's." He paused, handing them to him, "I thought you would like them."

Jordan analyzed the sunglasses in his hand, and thanked the man. "I appreciate it, thank you," he said, and slipped on the shades.

After the two walked away, Jordan turned towards his grandpa. "Grandpa, I have something I need to do, I'll be right back," he said, and his grandfather nodded, picking up on the urgency in his voice. "Alright, hurry along then, Jordy," he smiled, and the boy ran past the fences of the cemetery and towards the forest.

_Where could Tay have gone?_ He asked himself as he ran past countless trees in the dimming light. The sun setting around him stained the sky with hues of pink, orange, and yellow, and the mist surrounding the forest emanated an eerie calm; nevertheless, the nine-year-old continued to dash down the dirt trail.

"Taylor!" He cried, eyes frantically searching for any sight of the amulet wearer, "Taylor!"

Jordan stopped to catch his breath; no matter where he went, he couldn't find his friend, and it felt like he had been running around in endless circles. The sun was hidden below the horizon, and night had enveloped the land; the air grew chillier, and Jordan knew it was too late to hurry back to his grandfather. If he didn't find Taylor-

"Maron."

The voice was cold; it had no life to it, and it held an air of condescendence. The one word spoken sent shivers down Jordan's spine and had goosebumps racing up his skin. It put him into a state of shock when he came to realize who exactly had called his name so coldly.

"Tay-?" He couldn't even finish the other boy's name when he was interrupted.

"Look, about the funeral-"

Jordan instantly snapped out of his shock. "Yeah, about that- you couldn't even _cry_ about my parents and my brother _dying_? _What's wrong with you_?"

"Jord... it's not- it's not like that-"

"Just shut up! I don't care, you heartless jerk!" He rebutted, and he hardly comprehended how similar Taylor looked to a deer in the headlights; He was too enveloped in his anger. "I hate you! I hate you so friggin' much!"

"Jordan, please... just let me explain..." The amulet wearer was pleading at this point, and he tried to put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

The other boy smacked his hand away immediately, "Get away from me- I can't even-!"

Before Jordan could even finish his thought, he ran away from Taylor and into the night.

He sprinted- he didn't care what direction, just away from his former friend. Because that's what Taylor was to him, right? A former friend who didn't care for him.

He stopped in his tracks and put his hands on his knees, catching his breath. He had been running for what felt like hours, but he knew it had been- at most- fifteen minutes. He was sure it was around midnight, and he tried to ignore the fact that he told his grandfather he would be back soon.

Jordan slumped against a nearby tree and tugged at his jacket once more; he pulled up the hood and placed his scarf over his nose and mouth. He placed his arms over his chest and hugged himself for warmth. With thoughts of the fight with Taylor fleeting his mind, he ignored them the best he could and dozed off to sleep.

* * *

_Darkness. All __around him, there was darkness._

_A voice pierced through the space. It wasn't heard, but he knew it had been there._

_**Check.**_

_He was falling now. Falling into a new reality. Stars swirled around him and galaxies twinkled in the distance._

_He was in a forest now. It was early morning, and he felt like he had lived in this life before. _

_Again, a shout pierced the air- behind him, a familiar voice... one he knew..._

_And then it was gone._

_He was floating with the stars again- they were so bright... bright, bright, bright-_

_Falling. He was falling once more._

_Another reality; he was in his house. Home- his family was there, too- but then the roof began to collapse-_

_Falling... Falling... _

_Scenes repeated countlessly before him, and every time, there was someone calling out his name... his name..._

**Jordan!**

_He was falling._

**_I believe that's check again, Antvenom._**

* * *

Jordan bolted upright, waking in a cold sweat. His breaths were ragged, and his heart was beating so fast, he distantly wondered if it would beat out of his chest.

It took only a few seconds after his initial panic to realize that there was a knife pressed against his throat.

"Make one move, and it'll be the last thing you do, _pawn_."

* * *

**A/N: Hey, guys. I'm really sorry for the hiatus on this chapter. This should have been out way earlier, and I'm really sorry for it being so late. Anyways, on to the actual content of this chapter... mostly character development leading up to something important to the plot. Who might this assailant be, and why is he after Jordan? What was up with Jordan's dream? WHY ARE THERE SO MANY QUESTIONS? ... Yeah. I hope you guys liked this overdue chapter, though. This would have been out earlier today, but I kind of wrote it and accidentally deleted it when I tried to save it. And after I rewrote it, I didn't have wifi to post it. Oh, and editing this was a pain with my new phone. Gah, I'll stop... I just hope you guys enjoyed it, and hopefully an update won't seem unheard of. Stay gold until then. :)**


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